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Eggs Benedict: Then and Now

Here’s another then-and-now peek at how my food photography has improved.

This is from my old Eggs Benedict post, published more than (gulp!) four years ago on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love Eggs Benedict. And really, even though this is one of my oldest food photos, I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s pretty crisp and clear, and the lighting is sufficient…and I’m not so dang close to the dang food that you can’t tell what the heck it is.

The same can not be said about other food photos I took during the same timeframe.

Ahem.

This is my same recipe for Eggs Benedict (well, tweaked a bit for my cookbook), photographed earlier this summer. When you compare it to the previous version, it’s obvious that this plate was sitting by the window, which is allowing for more natural light (and therefore, more contrast). Contrast, to me, is what’s missing the most in the prior version. Also, I prefer this perspective a bit more: I squatted down a bit so that I was more on the level of the dish, whereas in the earlier photo, I sort of just pointed and snapped without giving much thought to composition.

Again, I really don’t recoil much at the earlier photo. The same can not be said for some of my other food photos taken during that timeframe.

Ahem.

But you don’t always have to compare your current food photos to older grody photos. Sometimes you can compare them to so-so photos like this one.

Even a little improvement is fun to see. There’s always, always something to learn.

I love all of your photos Ree! They inspire me to keep learning and practicing! I have learned sooo much from you! Thank you!!!

Melodee

Personally, I like the two muffins, I like the fork and I like the plate in the first one. I’d like to see them in the lighting of the second. In fact, I love the plate. It says “Good morning, Sunshine!” to me. :o)

http://www.placesbetweenspaces.com Lynn Donaldson

Wow!!! No comparison. Good for you, P-Dub to keep learning and working and especially to show us the differences as you skills improve. I’m a photojournalist and I must say, you inspire me to keep at it and keep pushing and improving!

I notice you are really drawn to horizontals. Though I generally prefer verticals for portraits + food (look at Tartlette or any food magazine…99.9% verticals), I must say the “landscape” format works for you! You would probably do really well with ye olde square format of a Hasselblad or Rolleicord if you ever pick one up. . I recently shot a cookbook and the art director chose a horizontal format. ACK!!! It was sooooo challenging for me to shoot horizontals since I am so drawn/conditioned to shoot food vertically.

Again, thanks for showing us your old “mistakes” as you ascent the ladder to perfection!

Martha

Ahem looks mighty good to me. I’ll take one to go.

http://www.cabbageranch.blogspot.com Katie of Cabbage Ranch

These posts give me heart. Love it!

Denise in Alaska

Love the new picture. We had sort-of eggs benny for breakfast this morning, though I used sausage instead of Canadian bacon. Tasted great before going out to shovel snow. 🙂

Jennifer C

Here in MD we get crab benedicts! They are delicious! Those pics are making me hungry!

http://www.pikkuarkki.com sarah

i, for one, love the blue plate. i think that adds a really nice pop.

http://www.serioulsysassymama.com Seriously Sassy Mama

I think the use of the colored plate really helped the look of the food. The blue makes the yellow of the egg yolk stick out. Sometimes it is all about color.

http://www.bucknrunranch.com Mary O'Brien

Awesome new photo. Makes me want some Eggs Benedict right now and I hate Eggs Benedict! You go girl!

http://mandmplus3.blogspot.com/ Mandy M

I’ve been struggling with my photos for awhile. This morning I took numerous pics of my quilt blocks to post on my blog. I still couldn’t get the right light. I took some outside, some inside, some in direct light, some in indirect light. OMG, so much to learn. Thank you for showing your improvements. I guess there is still hope for me then! I’m still saving for my DSLR. I was hoping to get it this month. Soon please soon!

http://nuttypeeps.blogspot.com/ Coramie

Actually….I like the first one best. I think it’s because it looks more comfy-cozy…like it would have been made in my kitchen. The second one, although clear and with better lighting, looks more posed….as it probably was and needed to be for the cookbook. In the first one also, the plate pattern, to my mind, made the whole dish look more appealing. Both are great….but I prefer the first one. Just my two cents worth……

Claudia

Me, too. Or have someone cook them for me!

http://aheavenlyjourney.net Melissa

Definite improvement. 🙂 The thing with the old photo, too, is that it was just too single-toned. The pale eggs and muffins and sauce on a pale plate. Putting the dish on the blue plate and adding a sprinkle of paprika made a huge difference! Whereas before it was “Oh, nice picture” now it’s “Wow! That looks good!”

http://cherylbarker.blogspot.com/ Cheryl Barker

I don’t have a big girl camera like you, Ree, but I do have a point and shoot with great optical lens and other neat features so am trying to pick up some pointers I can use with it — like natural light and contrast, etc. I’m trying to get better! 🙂

http://jakenjennyricks.blogspot.com Jenny

I think you forgot to cook your eggs.

someone

Photographically the updated photo is somewhat better, although it really screams for a tighter crop. But as a food photo? Not so much. In the first photo I see the warm creamy yellow of the hollandaise sauce, and I see the Canadian bacon. In the second photo there’s no Canadian bacon? Is this really Eggs Benedict? Without the bacon? Or did you forget to position the FOOD so we could see all the important ingredients? Then there’s that anemic sauce. Sure doesn’t look like tasty hollandaise to me. On the eggs it looks almost white, on the plate it looks muddy brown.

IMHO, there’s a great 3rd photo waiting to be shot. It would be on that lovely blue plate. It would show the Canadian bacon, and a lovely yellow hollandaise sauce. And it would zoom in more on the food, with much less plate remaining in the final crop.

http://katiekdid.com katie@ KatieDid

The blue dish add SO much to the photo as well, especially with its’ simplicity and vibrance. gorgeous as usual 🙂